I don't eat a lot of desserts, so when I do, I want it to be something special.

For me, tiramisu is the pinnacle of what a good dessert should be; it is rich and airy, creamy and decadent, bitter and sweet. The little kick of alcohol cuts through the richness, stopping the dessert from being cloying, and the whole thing is covered in cacao and chocolate. What is not to love?

This dessert holds special childhood memories for me. I remember my parents getting a special recipe from an Italian friend and being super excited about making this tiramisu. Excitement is infectious for a young lad, so as you can imagen, I couldn't wait to try the dessert. When I finally did, I remember being extremely disappointed…. coffee yuck. wine yuck… what was all the fuss about. Luckily my pallet has developed over the years and now tiramisu is a firm favourite.

I have always enjoyed adapting and tweaking recipes, I get a real kick out of putting my own twist and creativity into a dish. When I thought about this dish it begged for mushroomising. I have Incorporated Chaga into the recipe to replace some of the coffee components and used our spiced cacao blend where you would normally use cocoa. Chaga is an amazing functional mushroom and has a delicious coffee like flavour, so it fits perfectly here. The spiced cacao adds to the depth of flavour with the subtle complimentary spices, and of course your get some Reishi and Lion’s mane goodness here too.

Although this recipe isn't overly difficult, there are a few steps involved and it does take a little time. So get organised, put enough time aside and enjoy the process.
This delightful dessert freezes well so you may want to consider making a double batch and setting some aside for a future dinner party. If stored properly, it should keep well for up to 3 months in the freezer. The last time I made it, I made a cake version for a birthday party and stashed a tray in the freezer in preparation for a yacht charter I was catering for.

Ingredients

FOR THE MASCARPONE MIXTURE

4 egg yolks
80g of coconut sugar or maple syrop
1 tsp vanilla essence
250g of mascarpone
250ml of double cream
100 ml of sweet wine (I used riesling, masala is the classic)

FOR THE SPONGE FINGERS

24 sponge fingers
300ml of strong, good quality decaff coffee
1 tbsp chaga powder
60ml whiskey or similar

FOR THE TOPPING

100g of dark chocolate, peeled into curls
4 tbsp of Wildwood Spiced cacao

Step 1.

Brew your coffee and allow to cool.

Step 2.

Whisk the egg yolks, coconut sugar and vanilla essence together in a bowl, over steaming hot water until pale and doubled in volume.

Whip the cold cream to soft peaks.

Fold ⅓ of egg mixture into the mascarpone to lighten it, before folding in the remaining egg mixture. Then repeat this process with the cream.

Step 3.

Make up the dip for the sponge fingers. Combine your cooled coffee with your whiskey and chaga power. Dip the sponge fingers into the coffee mixture, ensuring they evenly absorb the liquid; You want the sponge fingers to absorb as much liquid as possible without turning soggy. I found I could dip 4 at a time for around 3 seconds to give them the right amount of moisture.

Step 4.

If using a rectangular tin, aim to make 3 layers of mascarpone and 3 layers of biscuits with 8 sponge biscuits on each layer. If you are using a different vessel, do what makes sense; just keep in mind having a nice balance of mascarpone mixture and biscuits.

Step 5.

Start with a layer of biscuits, sprinkle over a little dark chocolate and a dusting of spiced cacao. Spread a layer of the mascarpone mixture all over. Repeat this process until you have 3 layers, finishing with a mascarpone layer and sprinkle on the remaining cacao.

Step 6.

Chill and leave to set in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. The tiramisu improves over time and is very good served the next day.

Step 7.

Serve and garnish with more grated chocolate and some fresh strawberries if you have some at hand.

As this is a low caffeine version, I find it works better than a regular tiramisu for serving at night as it won’t keep you up, though there is nothing stopping you from having a slice after a special Sunday lunch. Enjoy.

I think its worth mentioning, for those who might be put off by mushroom in the title, that this desert doesn’t taste like mushrooms. The subtle earthy notes of the mushroom powders are woven through all the other delicious flavours going on.

Thanks to Monica Shaw of great British chefs for inspiring the base of this recipe and thanks to Italy for inventing amazing desert.

Tiramisu - Aka Mushroomisu